The Warrior Games
by KT-FeatherSage
Summary: Every greenleaf, three toms and three she-cats from each Clan are picked blindly and sent off to fight to the death in an arena fitted specifically for the four Clans. Only one is allowed to emerge the victor, but given the wrong personality for the Games, they will never be themselves again.
1. Chapter 1

Everyone is at camp now, there is no leaving. Everyone is watching Darkstar, some eyes eager, some eyes scared. There are two options in life now: the lust for blood and the fear of the kill. You either want to join, or you never wish to.

It's a vicious cycle for those wanting to be there, you train to kill, you fight to kill, you kill, you are killed. Or you emerge the victor and are hailed by all those eager.

It's a terrorizing cycle for those never wanting to be there, you avoid the kill, you end up fighting for the kill, you are forced to kill, you are killed. Or you emerge the victor, and are never yourself again.

Darkstar is watching me, he knows I am indifferent and hiding my fear inside. He knows I can be so much more. That's why he's entered me twice. He knows about my power, and he knows I know what he's thinking. What he's done.

He won the Warrior Games four seasons ago, and the speed of his kills ranked him up to deputy once he returned with the previous victor at his claws as he stole her role. Barely three moons later, our leader was dead and he had gained his nine lives. We were friends, but we drew apart after he achieved leadership. He always wanted me to enter the Games, to kill and grasp the victory.

And now, I feel that this time I will be in the Games.

Starslasher appears on the Highledge, three scars running down each destroyed eye. He stops in between two piles made up of items representing us. A herb, plant or killed prey depending on our name, or a tuft of our fur if that is unachievable. He is the cat who is blinded, who is forbidden to have any relationships or choice over who goes in, who will pick three items from each pile and those are the ones who will go in.

He noses through the tom pile and picks out a sparrow, a piece of bark from an oak tree, and a tuft of red fur.

"And that will be Sparrowclaw, Oakbranch and Flamescorch." Darkstar calls out to the crowd. Sparrowclaw and Flamescorch are eager. The brown tabby and the red-ginger bound up to where the guards are waiting, while the sturdy dark brown tom pads slowly, already accepting his fate.

Then Starslasher moves over to the she-cat pile and I remain calm as he selects a feather, a birch leaf and a mallow leaf. Darkstar is contented.

"And that will be Featherear, Birchleaf and Mallowspirit."

The silver tabby with feathered ears and the black-and-white she-cat are not willing to enter the Games, but they try to look eager and trot forwards. And Mallowspirit.

That's me.

Silver fur with black paws, a long, thick tail and silver eyes.

I am indifferent as I pass Darkstar, making my way to the five other cats waiting. There are no goodbyes as Darkstar selects three previous victors to watch as a reward for good work, and he leads the tributes, the guards and the victors out of camp and towards the Moonpool.

ShadowClan are the only ones there as we arrive. Slashstar is waiting with six familiar tributes. From the toms, Redjaw, an eager red tabby tom with a scarred muzzle, Grassnose, an eager light grey tabby tom, and Vinestripe, an eager grey tabby tom. From the she-cats, Hazeldust, an eager dusky brown she-cat, Honeytail, an eager golden she-cat, and Drizzleheart, a scared grey-blue speckled she-cat.

None of the tributes are allowed to talk, any alliances have to wait until the Games begin. They want to see all the action in the heat of the moment, not already planned out. RiverClan and WindClan arrive together, and it's hard to distinguish between them. I can only recognise Tansybubble, a scared black-and-white she-cat from RiverClan, Sorrelheart, a scared tortoiseshell she-cat from WindClan, and Crashstorm, an eager dark ginger tabby tom from WindClan. The rest are all new to me and unknown, though I can see a black tuxedo tom, a long-haired sandy she-cat, a flame-coloured tom, a brown tabby she-cat and a blue-grey tom looking eager, leaving the other three scared. Birdstar and Rockstar lead WindClan and RiverClan respectively. Birdstar is a cream-and-white patched tom, and Rockstar is a large, sturdy grey tom.

My eyes meet Tansybubble's, then pass over. She remembers that day, during the Gathering. Arrowstar, the previous leader, had excused me to sit on the outskirts after I had lied about a headache, as I was only an apprentice and there were too many thoughts flying about. Hate, love, eagerness and fear alike, and it was too much. I had run to the outside, then I saw her, trapped beneath the tree bridge, struggling wildly, using all her strength to keep her muzzle above the water. I ran to help, lifting the tree up just enough for her to escape. She had thanked me, promised me something in return, then run to join the Gathering. I had personally not wanted anything in return. Anyway, she still hasn't paid me back. Not like I mind, but yeah. I then look at Sorrelheart. She has been my friend for as long as I can remember, from the first Gathering to now. It's unfortunate that we're both here, but only one cat with remain.

Darkstar finishes talking with the other leaders, and he signals with his tail for everyone to begin moving. He waits until they are all ahead before coming to my side and walking with me.

"What can you sense?" he asks softly. He is surprisingly nice to me in private. I cast out my senses after closing my eyes, and first my thoughts reach the tuxedo tom from WindClan. He is planning a strategy, and with his watchful eyes he is sizing us up. He thinks his first kill will be Drizzleheart, and his toughest challenge will be Flamescorch. I learn his name is Whitechest, and move on to the long-haired sandy she-cat who is called Sandrose. She wants to form an alliance and kill everyone in there, then move onto another alliance and repeat it. I make a mental note to avoid her trap.

Out of all of them, those two sound the most dangerous, though I learn that the blue-grey tom is from RiverClan, and can make air holes and Dens underwater, and his well-rehearsed strategy is to grab cats that come to drink and drag them underwater to a painfully slow death. I shiver. That is not the way I would like to go. His name is Shiverfish, and I quickly learn from Grassnose's thoughts that many cats had nicknamed him Bitterfish.

"That the most dangerous warriors are Whitechest, Sandrose and Shiverfish." I reply in a whisper.

He nods. "How can you overcome them?"

"Whitechest will just be a fight to the death, Sandrose I have to avoid and stay out of an alliance with at all costs, but Shiverfish…" I trail off, uncertainty turning my silver eyes a light blue.

"What's his strategy?" Darkstar asks, seeing my newly-coloured eyes.

"He can stay underwater for days with air pockets. Whenever someone goes to drink, he grabs them a drags them underwater until they die."

Darkstar winces, and I imagine him thinking of drowning in panic. Eventually he replies.

"You'll just have to take a risk with that. Remember you power, if you sense thoughts, try somewhere else."

I nod, eyes turning silver again.

Half a day into travelling, I find myself sensing the thoughts of Slashstar. At first, she is only excited about the Games, and wondering how her warriors will do, but then something else takes over.

_Grassnose, Vinestripe and Redjaw have agreed to hold an alliance with each other. They go around and find a good camp, before uniting with Hazeldust and Honeytail. From there, they shall eradicate Drizzleheart and Tansybubble. I heard Sandrose by the border and she was thinking out loud about her strategy. They shall announce that they want her and her alliance to join them, then kill them when she thinks she's ready. The rest is up to them._

That is a well-thought-out plan if I've ever heard of one. I shuffle my paws, trying to keep my eyes from turning pale blue again. But I can't stop them from turning a light purple as I look at the ground, thinking.

Darkstar nudges me out of my thoughts and I look up, relieved to feel my eyes turning silver again.

"You have to try and keep your thoughts quiet. I'm not going to pry on what you heard, but use it to your advantage." he murmured.

I nodded, and he returned to the leaders.

After another day's worth of travelling, it was sunset and we had arrived with strict orders to not look at the arena or you would be executed. I have no plans of looking at the place I'd soon be fighting to the death, but I have a feeling that if I did Darkstar wouldn't really mind. He'd probably tell me to in a second anyway.

We were led up to a high cave above the arena, where a long path sloped downwards slightly and out to were the leaders, chosen victors and guards would watch. Now I sat curled up in a makeshift nest, watching the moon rise. I sigh, blue starting to play in my eyes before closing them and falling asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**This was more liked than I expected it to be so I wrote another chapter. Thanks everyone for reviewing, favouriting and following, and sorry about the wait! Hope you enjoy this chapter! :)**

* * *

I'm shaken awake in the middle of the night, and open my eyes to see a pair of amber-yellow eyes looking down at me from a cat coloured like shadows. I don't jump at his sudden appearance, just blink back up at him. He backs away slightly, then turns with a flick of his tail, padding towards the entrance. His message is clear. _Follow_

I do, slinking quietly out of my nest and stalking along in his shadow out of the cave. Sleeping forms are curled all around us, none of them waking, and I observe them all, wondering how many of them will be dead soon. I almost laugh at the thought.

_Twenty-three of them, of course, and you could well just be one of them._

But if I know Darkstar, he's already rigged the arena in my favour so that I come out alive. I don't know why he still has this burning desire to let me win, but I don't know if I agree with it. If there's one thing you have to do to win in these games, it's kill, and I know I'll have to do a lot of that to be his victor. But whether I want to is the main thing. Sure, I can be his puppet, but the strings are only so strong.

Once we're out of the cave and earshot, Darkstar stops and turns to me.

"I'm going to show you the arena." he whispers. I don't reply, just nod and let him lead the way. We bound lightly up a rock slope and suddenly I see it. The terrain is on a naturally-raised platform, and twenty four flat stones have been moved to surround a fallen tree that's hollow and filled with leaf-wraps of herbs, dried meat and even tools fitted on claws to make them sharper. Beyond the area, as the hollowed-out tree is not directly centre but close to the edge instead, I can see an open deciduous forest, a more shadowed coniferous forest, a rockland filled with jagged points, steep drops and a large collection of rivers varying in size, width and depth and finally an open moorland with a strip of boggy marsh connecting it to the coniferous forest. The arena.

"It was chosen because it fitted the experience of all four Clans." Darkstar informs me, his gaze landing on the deciduous forest like back home, "So I assume you will head for what looks like ThunderClan territory?"

I watch it for a heartbeat, seeing a squirrel bound up a tree despite the fact it's almost midnight.

"I will go where I need," I reply, "but that forest is a good place to start. If it has too many dangers I will try elsewhere."

He mulls over this for a heartbeat before flicking his tail and bounding towards the hollow tree, leaping on top of it. I follow, landing gracefully beside him. The wood is sturdy beneath my pads and makes a slight noise that echoes beneath us at our pawsteps, quieter for me. I wonder how much of the items on show beneath me will be taken, and just how many will go to waste. That's a bitter thought, there's probably a lot for healing wounds down there that are just left to rot when the games have been won, even though the winter will come and the herbs that grow by us will dry out and someone bleeds out after a battle like usual.

As if Darkstar senses my thoughts, he bites softly down on his tongue and I hear his.

_We have to take them with us once this is done...I'm not losing a perfectly good fighter again_

I can sense the Clan responsibility weighing down on his shoulders even though the warrior code has been reduced to a game of kill or be killed when borders are disrespected, which is often. That's something he lives up to, but losing Spearstrike was hard for him. He was the black tom's first deputy, and they had developed a true friendship until he bled out after a scrap with ShadowClan. The kind of friendship he only sparked with me otherwise.

I fight to keep my eyes silver, but I can't stop a sympathetic light pink from washing over them, and I give in and press my coat against his reassuringly. He gives me a grateful and kind look as I break through his hard and murderous exterior and smiles.

"Don't you go dying in these Games, Mallowspirit, you're one of my only true friends." he murmurs with a slight laugh.

"I'll try," I reply, genuinely smiling.

I receive a little shove. "I need you to confirm that."  
I push him back. "I confirm that I will try."

"No!" and then I slip off the tree as Darkstar tackles me. We roll on the grass for a bit before I laugh and slip out from under him, racing for the tree again. I leap at it as he gives chase, managing to sink my claws in before he catches my tail and hauls me off, tackling me to the ground again. I'm left staring into his face as I try to control my laughter, and he's panting and grinning. His eyes catch the moonlight and shine slightly, and I don't notice that my eyes have stained a different colour until he asks "What does that pink mean?"

Smiling, I fight down the rosy colour until it's subdued, but then green takes over the silver again.

"Satisfied." I lie, and when he sees he's not going to get the correct answer he gets off me and helps me to my paws.

"Alright then. Just as long as you're happy."

I nod and lick my paw, then draw it over my ear, grooming spiked-up fur as I return to my neutral, silver-eyed and stoic state. "Alright, Darkstar, got anything else you want to let me cheat with?"

He doesn't seem to like my sudden change back into my more guarded personality, but says nothing and flicks his tail. "That's all. After all, it wouldn't be fun then, would it?"

I'm then thrown back into the horrible reality of this situation. Sure, every border tussle I risk my life for my Clan, but here my sole goal is to survive the murderers that will be hiding around every corner and to kill when necessary. I turn my gaze towards the sky to hide the tinge of pale blue. "No," I whisper, "no it wouldn't."

* * *

I wake again at dawn to the more careless jab of claws against my ribs.

"Up, tribute!" barks a voice that I think comes from one of the RiverClan victors, "Early rise to prepare for the Games starting tonight!"

I open my eyes and look into the narrowed blue ones of a speckled grey tom that glares down at me from above. I stand up in my makeshift nest, stretch and yawn as he goes to find someone else to roughly wake up. The four leaders are in conversation by the entrance, quietly hissing about whether they should start at exactly sunset or just before. Just before wins, as nobody wants a row of tributes blinded by the sun while the others are just silhouettes to them.

I catch Darkstar's eye for a brief heartbeat but look away. I saw enough of him last night and I don't need anyone getting suspicious.

By now everyone else has been woken. A few look disgruntled with their rough awakening but know better than to complain. The victors are much higher-ranked and respected than us, especially now that we're the tributes heading into the Games.

Tonight.

I stifle a shiver -something I learnt to do a long time ago- that reminds me of just how close murder and death is to us and join the crowd sitting down where the four leaders now stand at the entrance to the cave. I find myself next to Sorrelheart and Tansybubble; they're the only cats here I can call myself 'friends' with and I'm grateful for their company.

"Alright, lucky tributes!" Slashstar begins, grinning like she's struck a mouse den, "Today starts the Warrior Games at sundown! All through today, you have free reign to train, learn your enemies and think about alliances, but just remember to keep those to the Games, all alliances must be formed after the initial bloodbath. And scraps stay inside the arena too, why waste an opportunity in there just to snarl at them in here."

She gives a twisted chuckle and I just about feel Sorrelheart's tail twitch uneasily. I give her a quick sympathetic glance even though I feel just about the same.

"No cat is to look at the arena. Anyone caught doing so will be sent into the Games with a disadvantage." Rockstar growls, "Any training will be done outside and supervised. Training is not mandatory, but it is recommended. This will be your last chance before the Games begin."

"But just remember to rest too, you don't want to be tired before the bloodbath starts." Birdstar adds with a dip of his head.

"Alright, with that out of the way, enjoy your day, and welcome to the Warrior Games!" Darkstar finishes with a flourish of his tail.

Many of the eager cats bound immediately towards the entrance, and I'm at first overwhelmed by their determined and enthusiastic thoughts. Most of them want to show off their strength and make an intimidating impact, but a couple like Sandrose are just there to size up and get to know their opponents. I notice Drizzleheart and a fluffy grey tabby she-cat from WindClan following, their ambitions to train and learn the enemy respectively. Tansybubble pads back over to her nest with her head down and tail dragging and collapses back into it, lying down with her tail hiding her eyes from view. This earns a sneer from Crashstorm, but if she hears him she doesn't acknowledge it. I briefly wonder if her sleep was plagued with nightmares, but don't get to do anything else as Sorrelheart rests her tail on my shoulder.

"Hey, Mallowspirit, long time no see!" she mews, a smile on her face.

It's a genuine smile, one that breaks my heart because I know that even if I don't emerge victorious, she has a very slim chance and yet she's still so positive and kind.

So I can't help but smile back as I reply, "Yeah, Sorrelheart, how've things been going?"

"Oh, mostly the usual. Nothing out of the ordinary. Unless you count this." she replies with a little laugh.

I chuckle. "Yeah. Any plans for today?"

"I don't know about you, but I've been trying to analyse each tribute, but that's really not my forte. Can you help? I understand if no, but I could really use some pointers from someone as perceptive as you." she replies, ducking her head almost embarrassedly.

"Of course. Come on, let's go."

Most of the others, scared or not, have gone to join training now too, only a pure white tom from WindClan, Featherear and Birchleaf sitting behind in their nests and thinking of strategies. I lead Sorrelheart out before I end up tapping into their thoughts. They're training in a little forest clearing behind the cave, and we stalk up a tree to watch from the shadows. Opponent analysis has always been one of my strengths, and it's easy to see from just watching what they are most capable of even without hearing their thoughts.

"Okay," I find myself whispering automatically, "look at Crashstorm. He's got a lot of strength for a WindClanner and he likes offensive attacks as opposed to defensive. He has speed on his side as well, but can't combine the two so he's a slow dodger. He won't defend, meaning you should be extra careful because that attack he's trying out now will eventually overwhelm you if you're not prepared. Look for an opening with him. Now, Sparrowclaw can play both defensive and offensive, and he's more sturdy than strong. So it'll be harder to take him down but if you blindsided him or attacked with someone else it might work. Hazeldust is the opposite end of the spectrum, she's small, wiry and crafty and has the gift of speed, silence and agility. She can get out of attacks like pinning and tackles easily and can strike when you least expect it, however she is way less strong than the previous two and wins with wit not strength, but if you can trap her in a situation she can't run she's already defeated."

And I go on. I feel like I'm back as an apprentice, telling Arrowstar what I can tell from watching the other apprentices fight. That brings back memories that I don't want.

_There's shrieking and screaming all around. I can't see what's going on in the dark, but there's the occasional flash of claws or teeth that glint in the moonlight. The Apprentices' Den is bathed in an unnatural shadow, and there are rogues inside, hunting us down. Darkpaw stands above me, blocking my silver fur from view as we crouch in the shadow. We're outnumbered and we can't fight or escape without certain death upon us. I see a flash of white fur as Snowpaw runs, but then there's another scream and it's gone, a red stain spreading towards us. I whimper, unheard over the terrified cries of pain as the apprentices that had been noticed desperately fight back or run depending on whether they're eager or scared, and Darkpaw moves his tail to cover my view. He stands tall as he shields me in the back corner, unnoticed, but there's a faint tremor passing through him. He's just as scared as I am. Finally the rogues stalk out again, satisfied that they've caught every apprentice. Only then does the Clan intervene, chasing them out and coming in to help. It's a large mess to clean up afterwards and the Clan grieves and sends us to the Medicine Den for shock treatment. Ten graves were filled that day._

I shove the memory away roughly and return my focus to the training session, continuing to point out everything, even going over moves that would be good to overpower them. We return a couple of hours after sunhigh for a rest, and I awaken again two before sunset, going over my ideas for the bloodbath and Games but it's all a jumbled mess in my mind. Everyone is back in the cave at that point.

Then I hear the yowl of the leaders.

"Come one and all, it's time for the beginning of the Warrior Games!"

* * *

**If next chapter is ever written it's bloodbath time :)**

**Cya then, bai!**

**~KT**


	3. Chapter 3

**Oh look, I'm not dead**

**I got inspiration for this again so here y'all go**

**Thanks so much everyone for reviewing! Your support means a lot.**

**And SunKatt, I don't have insta or amino, sorry, but you still have all the right to draw Mallowspirit! ~^w^~**

**So without further ado, on with le chapter!**

**(also my other stories might not be updating for a bit because of lack of inspiration, sorry guys, but I will persevere with them someday. See you in 2040 for that)**

**(Also trigger warning: blood and violence, some minor description of death)**

* * *

A leaf blocks my vision as I'm shoved up the rock to where I will soon get my "first view" of the Arena. The air crackles with tension, and very few thoughts are flying about. That puts me on edge slightly, but it's easy to not let that show. After my whole life keeping my business to myself the thought of showing fear is almost alien. I suddenly hear one of the leaders cry from the viewing platform towering over the arena.

"Alllllllllllllllllllllllllllright tributes, it's time for the countdown to begin!"

There's the sound of tearing from behind one of my ears which takes a bit of my concentration not to flinch at as the blindfold falls away, and at first the light blinds me. I quickly adjust, however, to see the Hollowtree in front of me and the other tributes on rocks around me. I'm directly next to who I now know is called Snowpelt of WindClan on my left and Shiverfish on my right. Could be better, but it'll do.

I take another glance around the arena, the skyline illuminated with a soft orange glow as the sun sinks further. I glance up at the leaders and then to the deciduous forest that resembles ThunderClan territory. There are some wide gaps in between trees that would lead easily into the forest, and then some smaller, more hidden twisting paths that I can just about see. Which ones would people be more likely to take if I were to follow?

The moorland is instantly a no. I could never survive out in the open with only tall grass and claustrophobic tunnels for shelter.

I don't know what grows among rocks and rivers as well as I do forests, and besides I have no clue how to swim, so I should probably avoid that too.

The coniferous forest would be close enough for me to survive with, but there's too much open space and I've never been able to scent things among the sharp tang of pine.

The deciduous forest is my best bet. I know enough about healing herbs there from times in the Medicine Den, and I have lived in one for two seasons after all. I know signs of water and prey nests, where to look for good shelter, and my nose is used to the scents.

I'll go there.

The countdown is at thirty now, and I squint towards the Hollowtree. I see good piles of prey to start off with in the huge log itself, a couple of sticks with sharp ends for grasping with teeth in case it comes down to it, bundles of fresh herbs tied together with grass, and then finally the sharp and jagged rocks that can be attached to claws to deal extra damage. They get less and less plentiful and valuable as they approach the edges of the Bloodbath ring, and I see a shriveled mouse near my paws that looks like it's been dead for moons. I don't wanna risk eating something like that.

Fifteen heartbeats left. I have to make a decision. What herbs are good for healing? Goldenrod...marigold...sometimes dock for minor cuts. Horsetail too...Marigold and dock should be plentiful in the forest, but goldenrod and horsetail grow closer to grasslands and marsh, which is directly opposite in the forest. I make that my priority. Get herbs, get out.

Five! Four! Three! Two! One!

There's the sound of a rock smashing against another and then everyone springs into action. I immediately leap off my stone podium and begin bounding towards the Hollowtree. I'm not as fast as the WindClanners, even Crashstorm, but I'm close to the quickest in ThunderClan. Still, Flamescorch is above me, and the RiverClanners and ShadowClanners have probably got more agility being so lithe and graceful and wiry and stealthy respectively, and when I arrive there it's a fair fight.

Sparrowclaw is immediately on top of the fire-patterned RiverClan tom, and they go down in a whirling heap together. I don't see anything else as I turn my focus back to the tree, dodging someone else as they leap for me and end up crashing into Snowpelt instead. Yowls and shrieks begin to fill the air as cats fight for supplies and to knock the competition out, though no one has hit the ground to not rise again yet. Some aren't here, having already fled for the territories. It's a smart solution seeing as they probably house all the prey and plants necessary, but if I'm to heal wounds without risk of infection I need those herbs.

I reach the Hollowtree without meeting conflict and begin crawling over the piles of stuff, careful as to not step on sharp objects. The air in here is stuffy and clogged with prey and plant scents alike, and there are many herbs I don't recognise alongside those I do. My claws slide over a sprig with light leaves and red berries. I squint at them for a second before realising they're deathberries and tossing them away quickly. Sneaky fox-hearts. At last I find a large clump of the golden flowers I remember as goldenrod and clamp my jaws around them quickly and triumphantly. In that second though, claws latch onto my back right leg just below the hip and drag me backwards before tossing me to the ground.

I lie winded for a heartbeat. Idiot! Keep yourself on guard! What's wrong with you today?

My attacker is my own Clanmate, Flamescorch, though I suppose with the rule here being 'kill or be killed' and the competition being a free-for-all, Clanmates aren't immediate allies. I kick myself back to my feet before he can pin me down and whirl around in a circle, extending my foreleg to deal a hard blow on the side of his face. He cries out in shock and pain as I deal him a gash across his cheek and muzzle. I wince when I see the damage. I've exposed teeth and gum. It just makes him look even more terrifying.

I don't show it.

"You…" he hisses, lunges forwards again, but I sidestep and can immediately tell anger and pain is blinding him. He attempts an attack again, and this time I barely dodge in time, earning myself a cut on the foreleg. He's immediate in the attack again, but it doesn't reach him as another cat tackles him to the ground. It's not Sorreltail or Tansybubble, so I take it that they weren't doing me a favour and take the opportunity to run.

I begin bounding to the forest, seeing a couple others doing the same but not too many. Bodies have begun to hit the ground, and I don't want to count right now. I just need to focus on getting to the forest…

At that same time someone else crashes into me, claws snagging in my shoulders and tail, and I can tell immediately it was accidental. It's the fluffy WindClan she-cat, and as we go down together my claws end up in her ear and neck fluff, catching in the fur on the latter but not the skin. She ends up on top of me but I bring my back legs up and kick her in the stomach and off of me. I spare her, continuing my journey. As I approach the forest, I notice a discarded pile of assorted herbs lashed together. I scoop that up too, only a couple are crushed and they seem good-quality.

I reach my destination and take a running leap up onto the tree. I land shakily and tiredly on the first branch, and take a moment to catch my breath. I'm letting my stoic demeanor drop in the heat of the moment and I know it, but ignore it and carry on. It's pretty reasonable, seeing as I've just escaped a huge fight to the death. I continue more slowly through the forest until I'm a safe distance in, leaping from tree branch to tree branch and looking around for only my next landing and to check if I'm being followed. I'm not. Good. Once I'm far away enough that I can't hear the fighting or see the edge, I climb a few branches upwards to where there's a comfortable-enough crook in between two branches. I sigh and settle back down in it, dropping my herbs in front of me to catch my breath before making shelter.

I go through the assorted herbs first. Dock leaves, some slightly-damaged feverfew, the horsetail I missed in my frenzy in the Hollowtree and some deadly nightshade they snuck in there to be typical. I check that they haven't leaked poisonous juices onto the healthy stuff before sliding the stalks out and wrapping a leaf I pluck from the tree's branches around them. I might need them later.

My movements become sluggish, and I realise how exhausted I am from a late fight. The sun has half set, and the sky is darkening more and more. I glance over at my leg and shoulder wounds. They're bleeding, but not badly enough to cause infection. Dock will do, maybe marigold or goldenrod if it comes down to it. I chew on a bitter leaf, its juices shocking me awake slightly before dividing the pulp between my two wounds. The tail one didn't bleed much at all, and so I'm guessing it only just cut skin, which I'm relieved about. Once I've finished that, I lie down in a comfortable-enough position, too tired to do much else, and drift off into a shallow sleep.

I'm awoken what must be barely minutes later by a shrill yowl which I match to Slashstar and jolt upwards slightly before regaining myself. Sheesh, I'm really losing my cool in this pressure. Then suddenly there's the thud of rock against rock again, then again, then again. I realise that it must be signifying the bloodbath deaths, and count. I count up to seven. I'm too tired to care anymore, and after checking the nearby scents to make sure I'm alone, attempt to fall asleep again.

Key word: attempt.

Only heartbeats later is it someone else's turn to yowl as my attention is directed up towards the viewing platform. It's Birdstar, I think.

"DEATHS AS OF TODAY," he shouts, voice echoing, "DRIZZLEHEART AND VINESTRIPE OF SHADOWCLAN! BIRCHLEAF OF THUNDERCLAN! RABBITWING OF WINDCLAN! AND REEDWHISPER, NUTFANG AND FIRESTEM OF RIVERCLAN!"

And then all is quiet again. So Sorrelheart and Tansybubble made it, huh? I briefly wonder where they are now before shaking it off. But thoughts still cross my mind. Should I have initiated an alliance with them? Should I have at least checked their plans? And then there's quite a few of the scarier tributes left. Shiverfish will likely have gone to the riverland, Crashstorm will probably remain close to the Hollowtree, Sparrowclaw will...or did Sparrowclaw die?...or…

And then I drift off to sleep.


End file.
